


Sheer Coincidence Outtakes

by Skara_Brae



Series: Sheer Coincidence [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-07
Updated: 2013-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-20 14:11:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/586228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skara_Brae/pseuds/Skara_Brae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Outtakes and Follow-ups from my Sheer Coincidence 'Verse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Dates

Dean wasn’t nervous. Absolutely not. It was ridiculous to even think that he might be nervous, considering the circumstances. It just wasn’t often he went to dinner with guys he’d already slept with. And he never went to dinner with guys who had tied him up and… Well, he didn’t go out to dinner with guys that often.

But still, he’d changed his shirt twice, and his boots had needed to be polished anyway. Cas had said the place was casual, but Dean had worn his good jeans. And he left early to make sure he was on time. Luckily, Sam had gone into the office to catch up on some of the stuff he missed so Dean had ducked any awkward questions.

Cas’s idea of a ‘casual’ place still had white tablecloths and candles on the table. Dean felt a little awkward as he approached the hostess.

“Hi. Uh, I’m meeting someone here, but I’m a little early--“

“Hello, Dean.” Dean turned and Cas was right behind him. Cas looked a bit sheepish. “I was a bit early as well.”

The hostess smiled at them like they were a pair of kittens she’d like to pet. “I can seat you now, if you would like.”

She let them to a corner booth and handed them menus.

Dean wiped his palms on his jeans. “So,” he asked. “Come here often?”

“As often as I can,” Cas replied. “This is one of my favorite restaurants. Though not usually for dinner.” He picked up the wine list. “Would you like to share a bottle of wine?”

Dean wasn’t that big of a wine drinker, but he didn’t want to say no. “Sure, uh, whatever you like.”

When the waiter arrived with water, Cas asked for the ‘2009 Mondavi Cabernet’, which sounded expensive. Dean gulped down his water.

The waiter left and a rather awkward silence descended on them. Dean racked his brain for something to say. They had spent a whole weekend together and never really been at a loss for words. But then, that had been when he was Mike and Castiel was Jimmy, and a lot of those words had been “Yes”, and “Oh, God”, and “Please”. And yeah, that was not what he needed to be thinking about right now.

He glanced up to meet Cas’s eyes, and suddenly they both were speaking at once.

“So, what’s good---“

“How’s Sam--“

They both stopped. Silence threatened to descend again and Dean forced himself to laugh.

“I feel pretty weird.”

“Don’t,” Cas said. “I haven’t been on many first dates, but I figure this is what one should feel like.”

Dean raised his eyebrows. “Is this a first date?”

“I think so.”

“That’s too bad.”

Cas looked confused at that, but before he could say anything the waiter came back with the wine. Dean had to watch the whole complicated process of the uncorking, sniffing, and tasting before the wine was deemed acceptable and poured and they were left alone again. 

Cas turned back to him. “Why is it too bad?”

Dean tasted the wine. It was pretty good. “Oh, I was just thinking it was too bad this was our first date, because you aren’t supposed to put out on a first date.”

Cas choked on his swallow. Dean wanted to smack himself in the face. Why on earth would he bring that up?

But Cas, once he cleared his throat, laughed out loud. “That is true, but I believe you’re worth the wait.”

Dean blushed. Somehow, conversation got easier after that. In fact, they were talking so much, when the waiter came by to take their order, they hadn’t even looked at their menus. Dean went with the standard spaghetti and meatballs. Cas ordered something Dean couldn’t pronounce, which turned out to be some kind of rolled up meat, topped with sauce and thin slices of ham.

“It’s prosciutto,” Cas said.

“Bless you,” Dean responded.

Cas laughed again. Maybe a bit harder than the lame joke had warranted, but he had a great laugh.

They talked all the way through coffee and tiramisu.

When the check came, Cas grabbed it.

“Let’s split it,” Dean offered.

“No way.” Cas tucked his credit card into the folder and handed it to the waiter. “I asked, so I pay.”

“Is that how it works?” Dean smiled. “Okay, how about we go to the movies next week?”

“I’m free on Tuesday.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up this time.”

Dean walked Cas back to his car. Cas swayed towards him and asked, very seriously, “Do you kiss goodnight on a first date?”

“I…I can make an exception.” Dean closed the last few inches and sealed their mouths together. It was a nice kiss. Very nice, warm and soft and way too short. Dean may have moaned softly as Cas broke away.

He opened his eyes to meet Cas’s. 

“I’ll see you on Tuesday, Dean,” Cas rumbled, before stepping away to get into his car.

“Tuesday,” Dean repeated with a smile.

***  
Tuesday was nice. The movie was some overly plotted crime drama, but Dean and Cas had plenty of fun dissecting it over a plate of nachos and a few beers afterwards at the pub down the street. There was another, longer wetter kiss when Dean dropped Cas off back at his place, but there was no invitation to come up.

Dean wondered if he was being told off, or if they were adhering to the ‘third date rule’ he’d always heard about.

Sadly, their third date turned out to be Cas dropping by Dean’s work with some sandwiches and sodas when he was stuck working late. They ate them sitting in Dean’s car, chatting and listening to the radio.

“What are you doing Friday night?”

Cas smiled ruefully. “I promised Gabriel I would help him sort through some of the boxes from his old house.”

Yikes. Helping your brother sort through his dead wife’s things. That didn’t sound like fun. Before he could say anything else, Cas asked, “Are you free Saturday night?”

“I have to work. And then I promised Sam we’d hit the gym and get dinner afterwards. It’s just we haven’t hung out in a while--“

“No, no I understand,” Cas cut him off.

Dean wondered if they were never going to get their schedules together enough to get back into bed, and if this fledgling…thing they had going was going to fizzle out and die. Part of him wanted to suggest the back seat now, but before he could open his mouth, Caleb came out and banged on the trunk, startling both Dean and Cas.

“Yo, Dean! We need help. The lift’s jammed and I don’t think Adam secured the wheels on that pickup.”

“Crap, gotta go.” Dean jumped out of the car. “Hey” He turned back to Cas even as he walked back to the building. “Gimme a call Friday if you need to talk. I know that shit’s gotta be heavy.”

He thought he heard Cas say “Thank you,” but he was already running inside.

***

Cas didn’t call on Friday night, and Dean tried hard not to wonder why.

Saturday evening, he and Sam hit the gym and grabbed some burgers, and he was sufficiently distracted by Sam’s freak-out about an email he got from an ex-girlfriend. Dean had always liked Jessica Moore, and she had decided to move back to San Francisco.

Sam was insisting they were ‘just friends’ now, but he didn’t have too many friends that he couldn’t stop talking about. Or friends he could spend an entire Saturday night debating with himself about the best way to answer her email. But it was a nice night. Dean was only required to listen quietly and Sam was so distracted he didn’t even bitch about Dean eating all his fries.

Sunday afternoon, Dean was lying around watching football when his phone buzzed. It was a text from Cas.

Are you working today?

Dean got a strange flutter in his stomach. He texted back “Off untl tues”. Should he ask Cas to go out tomorrow? His phone beeped again.

Would you like to come over tonight? 

Dean read the text twice, then dropped the phone trying to reply. Should he offer to bring food? 

Wnt me to pck anythg up?

I believe I have everything we’ll need. 

Cas had to be messing with him. Because really?

What time?

Whenever you like.

Two hours?

Dean was already upstairs throwing some clothes into an overnight bag when his phone buzzed with the reply.

Park in the garage. The code is 954521.

***

As Dean pulled up to Cas’s high rise, the nervous feeling was back in his stomach. Part of him felt like he was back in Stinson Beach at the condo complex, but that was just stupid. 

After securing his car in the basement garage, he managed to get himself into the elevator and to Cas’s floor without any freak outs. 

Cas opened the door right away and ushered Dean inside. Dean let out a low whistle as he took in the apartment. There was a living room, fitted out with leather furniture, with a clear wall on one side, showing a spectacular view of the bay and the mountains beyond.

He walked over the plush carpeting to it, peering out at the darkening sky.

“That’s awesome. You can totally see--“

A hard grip on his shoulder, and he was spun around, his back slamming into the wall. Cas’s mouth was on his, a hard demanding kiss that made Dean feel weak at the knees. As soon as it was over, Cas dropped to his knees in front of him and began pulling at Dean’s belt.

“Oh, God.” Just the sight of Cas kneeling with his hands pulling at Dean’s clothes had Dean’s dick was at full attention in 0.2 seconds. Cas quickly had him free from the restraints of denim and cotton and swallowed him down. His mouth was hot and wet, in sharp contrast to the cold at Dean’s back.

Cas kept him off guard, alternating heavy suction with light teasing licks, his hands firmly groping Dean’s thighs, lightly tracing across his stomach or tugging at his hips. He brought Dean to the edge twice, pulling off at the last moment to drop quick kisses on Dean’s stomach and hips. Dean felt worshiped, cherished. His head fell back and hit the clear wall with a dull thump.

“Fuck. Oh fuck, Cas.”

The sound of his name seemed to spur Cas on. His hands squeezed Dean’s hips tight. His tongue prodded at the slit, before gliding down and taking Dean deep in his throat. Dean glanced down to see Cas’s bright blue eyes studying his face. And that was it. Dean couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. He was barely able to choke out a warning as the spasms ripped him inside out. When he managed to regain control of his eyelids, Cas was standing in front of him again, wiping his mouth. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

“Oh, yeah?” Dean slurred, still unsteady. He hoped that glass, or plasteel, or whatever the wall was made of was secure since it was the only thing keeping him vertical. 

“Maybe since that stupid party.” Cas tucked Dean back into his jeans.

“Urgh,” Dean moaned. “That freaking party. You scared the hell out of me.”

Cas laughed and kissed him again. This time it was slower and soft. He pulled back. “Are you hungry?”

“Sure. Wait a minute.” Dean pulled Cas back to him and stroked a hand down the front of Cas’s pants. “What about you?”

Cas grabbed his wrist and kissed him again. “I can wait. I’m afraid dinner won’t.” He led Dean into the kitchen. Cas had made some kind of baked pasta with turkey and sun-dried tomatoes. It was delicious. He also had a six pack of Dean’s favorite beer in the fridge. They ate at the coffee table. Dean entertained Cas with Sam’s freak-out over Jess’s email, and Cas told him about Friday night with Gabriel.

“We went through 15 boxes and three bottles of wine,” Cas confided. “But I think we got through most of the hard stuff. Their college stuff, wedding album, photos and her jewelry. I think most of the rest of it can be donated.”

“I’m sure he was glad you were there.”

“He was. Luc even came by and helped for a while. And he usually runs from any kind of emotional stuff…”

They were sitting awful close on the couch, and Dean couldn’t help leaning over and pressing his lips to Cas’s. Cas moaned, inched closer and caught Dean’s wrist in one hand, the other going to the back of Dean’s neck. 

Before long, Cas was sprawled out on top of Dean, his fingers rubbing through Dean’s hair. Dean’s hand’s were roaming over Cas’s back, rubbing and pressing on the tight muscles of his shoulders.  
What got to Dean was the complete lack of urgency. It was slow and relaxed, like they had all night, which in fact, they did.

Dean had no idea how long they had been sprawled there when Cas pulled away and said, “I never did give you the tour, did I?”

“Well.” Dean leaned up to kiss him again. “I’ve seen this room.” He kissed Cas again. “And the kitchen.”

“That only leaves the bathroom.” Another kiss. “And my bedroom.”

“I can’t wait to see the bedroom,” Dean said earnestly. 

Cas laughed and pulled him to his feet. “Right this way.”

***

Dean woke on soft sheets to a rumbling bed companion. He sat up to look at the clock. 8:30. He had the day off, but he was pretty sure Cas needed to get to work, so he rolled over and gently shook the other man’s shoulder.

“Cas? Cas…I think you need to get up.”

Cas opened his eyes and blinked up at him. “Good morning, Dean.”

“Morning.”

Cas rolled over and looked at the clock. He laughed. “I am so late.”

“Do you want me to go?” Dean raised his eyebrows.

“Not at all.” Cas rolled over to Dean and wrapped his arm around him. “I just need you to give me a moment.” He pressed his lips to Dean’s, then rolled back and sat up. Snatching up the portable phone on the bedside table, he dialed and pressed it to his ear.

“Becky…No, I’m fine. I’m going to be late today…No, no, nothing’s wrong, I just…” Dean could hear the smile in Cas’s voice. “I just had a bit of a late start this morning. Cancel my nine o’clock and have Luc or one of the associates take the consult at 10. I’ll be in by 11.” Cas rubbed his eyes. “ Thank you.” He hung up the phone and collapsed back on the pillows.

“Problem?” Dean asked.

“No problem.” Cas rolled on top of him. “But I think she was about to send out a search party.”

Dean laughed and then moaned as their hips lined up. “So, we got time for another round?”

“At least.” Cas’s mouth met Dean’s for a long messy kiss. “Maybe two.”


	2. Sam's Revelation

Sam Winchester was a pretty smart guy. He had graduated from Stanford at the head of his class, passed the bar exam on the first try, and was a junior associate with one of the most respected firms in the Greater Bay Area. So yeah, pretty much everyone would agree that Sam Winchester was a bright guy.

Which is why it was so surprising that Sam could be blindsided by, of all people, his older brother, the one person Sam probably knew best out of everyone in the world. In retrospect, Sam could see all the signs, map out every continuous point and connect all the dots. At first, he couldn’t understand how he had missed it, but with hindsight, he could come up with a few different reasons.

One, once he had recovered from the “Martian Death Flu”, or at least that’s what Dean had called it, he had been incredibly busy. He returned to his internship to face a huge pile of work and he was determined to catch up on that. He also took Cas’s advice and went on several different interviews with law firms in the city.

So, for those first few weeks, Sam thought he could get a pass for not noticing something was seriously up with Dean. Of course, it was nothing bad. Dean was fine. No, more than fine. Dean was happy. Like, humming in the morning happy, or willing to do the grocery shopping on a Saturday afternoon happy. At first, Sam figured it had to do with their money situation. The loan from Milton & Hayes had secured the house, so that was a huge burden gone. And now that Sam had at least one job offer, their financial situation was looking up. Sam knew how hard it must have been for Dean, shouldering all of their expenses since Bobby had died, and Sam was determined to make it up to him.

Sam started to get a clue on Saturday night, when he asked Dean to go out and get dinner with him. Dean hemmed and hawed and then finally admitted he already had plans.

“Plans? You mean like a date?”

Dean actually blushed. “Yeah, a date.”

“Really? You are actually seeing someone right now? A girl or a guy?”

Sam had known Dean was indiscriminate when it came to dating since a rather unfortunate incident where he had walked in on his brother and a “friend” when he came home unexpectedly from classes.

“A guy, but—“

“What’s his name? When do I get to meet him?”

“You don’t.”

“Why not?” Sam challenged. It wasn’t like Dean to go all secretive on him.

“Sam…”

A thought occurred to him. “Are you embarrassed by me?”

Dean laughed at that. “No. It’s just…He’s a bit…out of my league, and I don’t know how long it’s going to last.”

Dark anger rose in Sam at these words. “You think this guy is just slumming with you? Dean, you don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

“Sam--“

“Dean, I’m serious. You’re a great guy and anyone--“

“It’s not like that, Sam. I just want to keep things simple for now.”

“I’m not simple?”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Look, if I am still dating him in three months, you can meet him then. I promise.”

“One month.”

“No.”

“Two then.”

“Fine.” And then Dean had smiled. Smiled, like he had a private joke in his head. Sam should have picked up on that instantly, in retrospect. He had seen that look before. Usually right before he discovered itching powder in his favorite jeans, or his beer super glued to his hand. But this time he had let it go.

***  
“That’s the fifth time you’ve looked at your watch in the last twenty minutes,” Gabriel Milton drawled. “Hope I’m not keeping you from anything.”

Sam’s head shot up guiltily. Gabriel waggled his eyebrows at him.

“No, it’s nothing…I mean--“

“Oh, quit it, Sam,” Gabriel laughed. “You don’t have to pretend this stuff isn’t boring. Not with me, anyways. Patent law is not exciting.”

“Oh, I don’t mind--”

“I’m sure you were hoping for a nice juicy murder for your first case. Not a rather standard copyright infringement suit.”

Sam laughed. “I’m just happy to be working here. Though I must admit, I wasn’t expecting this amount of research.”

He liked Gabriel. While there was a lingering sadness present in the other man, he still had a snappy sense of humor and was very clever. He made the late nights and stale coffee a little more bearable. Sam shuddered to think what working on a case like this with some of the other attorneys would be like.

It was getting towards 7 o’clock when the door to the office opened, and Luc Milton strolled in. 

“Gabe, Winchester.” In consideration of Sam officially joining the firm, Luc had made the concession of learning his name. Well, his last name, anyway.

“What are you still doing here?” Gabriel sounded surprised.

“Since someone stole my intern,” Luc gave Gabe a pointed look, “I had to stay and review all the paperwork on my case since that Zeddmore idiot can’t do anything without someone looking over his shoulder. I just sent him to go drop them off, but to be honest, it’ll be a miracle if he makes it to the courthouse. Do you want to go get a drink? I need one.”

“Sounds good. We’re about ready to knock off here anyway.” Gabriel looked at Sam. “Sam, would you like to join us?”

Sam was stunned to be invited to drinks with two of the senior partners. “Um, I would love to, but I kind of…have this thing.”

“Ooo,” Gabriel teased. “Hot date?”

“Yes—I mean, no…Just an old friend who’s back in town.”

Luc snorted. “An old girlfriend, I presume.”

“Um, yeah.”

“She’s back in town for a visit?” Gabriel asked, as he was organizing the piles of paper on his desk.”

“She’s moving back here. She was teaching school in Appalachia. Americorps.” 

“Let me guess,” Luc leaned against the desk, “You parted at graduation, looking wistfully in each other’s eyes, saying ‘I love you, but don’t wait for me.’”

That was…really close to what had happened. This guy was scary. “Sort of.” 

Gabriel stood. “Well, I guess we’ll excuse you…this time.” He looked at Luc. “I thought you had theater tickets tonight.”

“I did. Lilith is going to give me hell for breaking our date.”

“Did you send her by herself?”

Luc looked surprised. “Why would I do that? No, Cas took my tickets.” They headed out the door, Sam following close behind.

“Cassie? Wait, you mean we are both here working late and Cas is at the theater?”

Luc rolled his eyes. “What can I say? It’s Backwards Day.” 

Gabriel laughed. “Well, good for him. Is he taking the guy?”

“Do you think he told me? Took both my tickets, though.”

Sam was following them out, but was only listening to the conversation with one ear. He was bringing up directions to the restaurant on his phone

Jessica Moore was back. Sam and Jess had dated while they were both undergraduates at Stanford. Sam had really loved Jess, but of course he was too busy being dirt poor to do much about it then. Dean liked Jess, too. They got along great. He had always given Sam a hard time about letting her get away when she had gotten a full scholarship to go to graduate school in New England. Dean didn’t understand why he hadn’t begged her to stay in California, but Sam hadn’t wanted to hold her back.

Their relationship had dwindled to the occasional email. But now she was back. Sam’s stomach was full of butterflies as he slid into the booth across from her. Back and as beautiful and smart and funny as ever. They stared at each other for a moment, and then she smiled, and to Sam it felt like they had never been apart.

They talked for hours, catching up on all the little details of each other’s lives, at the restaurant, in a bar, then in an all night coffee shop. And when they finally decided they’d better head back, they kissed. A real kiss, too, not one of those brief pecks that you give to people you don’t really care about. As he watched her cab drive off, Sam smiled. They weren’t exactly where they had left off three and a half years ago, but he could see the path back there.

Sam invited her over to dinner at the house early the following week. The weather was so nice that Dean decided he wanted to grill outside. Sam and Jess sat in the kitchen while Dean was grilling. 

“I can’t believe your roommate got to see it.”

“She knows a guy at the ticket office, and he got her a gig as an usher. She said the whole thing was amazing.”

Dean re-entered the kitchen carrying a plate of burgers. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Jess’s roommate got tickets to see ‘The Liar’s Investment’. It’s that new play over at the Sentinel Theater. Everyone has been raving about it.”

“Oh, I saw that last week. It was okay. I mean, the lead girl was pretty good, but the rest wasn’t anything special.”

Sam blinked. “You’ve seen ‘The Liar’s Investment’?”

Dean took a pull of his beer. “Yeah, so?”

“Dean, no one can get tickets to see this play.”

Dean raised his eyebrows. “Apparently some people can.”

“Well, they are playing to a full house every night,” Jess teased.

“Yeah, sure. I guess so.” Sam conceded. “You went with that guy.”

Dean smiled. “Yeah, with that guy.”

Sam figured Dean must really like this guy if he would be willing subject himself to a live theater. He wondered if the guy was a bit stuffy, and that’s why Dean didn’t want him to meet Sam. But the next time Sam asked what Dean had done on one of his dates, he said he took the guy to his favorite diner, and then they went to see the latest action blockbuster, so maybe not.

So he didn’t comment on the leftovers from Puerini’s in the fridge, or the fact that Dean knew it was Beethoven being played at the Symphony this week. He was surprised at Dean’s sudden interest in his work stories, but some of the cases were interesting, and working with Gabriel guaranteed he had plenty of stories to tell.

Sam and Jess had begun taking small steps to get their relationship back on track, and after three weeks, Jess had asked him to come over and stay the night. This would be the first time Sam slept over since Jess left for grad school, and he blushed as he told Dean not to expect him back. Dean, of course, responded with a “Go get her, tiger” and back slap, so Sam rolled his eyes and left.

Dinner was awesome, a small place up on the hill with great food and good wine. When they got back to Jess’s place, Sam suddenly felt as nervous as he was on their first date back in college. Jess unlocked her front door and turned to look at him. They both seemed to freeze for a minute then…

Sam’s hands were in her hair and her arms were wrapped around his waist. Their mouths crashed together almost painfully. They stumbled over the threshold, still clinging to each other. They managed to separate just long enough for Jess to close the door and lock behind them. Sam tried to get her jacket off at the same time she was pulling his shirt out of his pants and they were stuck for a moment while they untangled their limbs.

They had made it to the couch in the living room and Sam felt Jess’s teeth against his neck. That caused a ton of memories to come flooding back, and Sam felt light-headed, what with all that blood rushing south. Suddenly, Jess’s front door slammed and her roommate came in sobbing.

All things romantic screeched to a dead halt. Jess, of course, had to tend to her distraught friend, and Sam sat on the couch alone. After about an hour of waiting patiently in the living room while voices floated out from the kitchen, Sam realized his night was not going to get back on track.

He poked his head into the kitchen just as Ava declared emphatically, “All men are scum.”

Wincing on behalf of his sex, Sam caught Jess’s eye and mouthed that he was going to go.

She gave him a sad look, but nodded, and gestured that she would call him tomorrow. He went outside and called a cab. 

He took note of Dean’s car in the driveway as he let himself in, but gave no other thought to it as he headed up the stairs into his bedroom. He collapsed on his bed and was asleep in minutes.

***

The next morning, Sam blearily headed down the stairs, expecting Dean to harass him about striking out once again. But he was utterly stunned when he walked into the kitchen and found Castiel Milton sitting at his kitchen table drinking coffee.

Sam stopped, closed his eyes and slowly opened them again. Nope, Cas was still there, casually flipping through the Sunday paper.

“Um…”

Cas started at his voice and looked up. “Oh, Sam, I had no idea you were here.”

“Yeah.” 

They stared at each other for a moment. Sam silently wondered how you politely ask your boss what he is doing in your house. Dean must have let him in. “Did Dean--“

“Oh, Dean left to go get breakfast,” Cas said quickly.

“Okay.” 

Dean must have let Cas in and told him to wait, and Cas had taken off his shoes? Sam thought as he noticed the other man’s bare feet. He turned and poured himself some coffee. Cas must have something to discuss with him, something about the firm. He turned quickly as the thought occurred to him.

“Is there something going on at the firm?”

Cas looked puzzled. “No. At least, I don’t think so. Are you having any problems?”

“No, not at all.

“That’s good.” Cas looked relieved. “How do you like working with Gabriel?”

“Oh, he’s great. A real character.”

“He is that.”

They were silent again. Sam racked his brain for something, anything to say.

Cas frowned and began drumming his fingers on the table nervously. “Sam, I hope my being here isn’t making you uncomfortable.

“No…No, not at all.” Yes, yes it really was. But what could he say?

“I’m glad.”

Cas then asked about the case Sam and Gabriel were working on, and the conversation flowed a bit easier between them. Sam still hadn’t quite caught on to why Cas was there. Could he have just stopped over to chat? He was something of a mentor to Sam, but that didn’t really explain an impromptu visit on a Sunday morning.

He heard the front door open and close and then Dean appeared in the kitchen carrying bags of food, probably from the closest diner.

“Hey, sorry I took so long, that place was packed…” He trailed off as he saw Sam sitting at table. He stopped for a moment and looked…guilty? “What the heck are you doing home so early?”

“I came home last night. Jess’s roommate was having a breakdown.”

Dean and Cas exchanged a look, as Dean said, “Oh, okay. That sucks, man.” He began unpacking the Styrofoam containers.

Sam’s brow furrowed as he tried to figure out the look passing between them.

“Sam and I were just discussing the case he is working on.”

Dean scowled. “No talking business on Sunday,” he said as he handed Cas a container. “Here’s your veggie omelet, even though I was embarrassed to order it. And I got you home fries too.” He gave Cas an almost shy smile.

“Thank you, Dean.” Cas replied, and he smiled back at Dean.

And that is where the penny dropped for Sam Winchester, Stanford graduate, Summa Cum Laude, prestigious law firm employee. 

“Oh, my God.”

Both Cas and Dean’s heads snapped towards him, eyes widening in concern.

“What’s wrong?”

“Dude, what is it?”

“Oh, my God. You and Cas, you’re…Oh, my god.”

Dean and Cas had turned their glances back at each other.

“I thought you told him?” Cas asked.

“No, I was gonna tell him, but he was going out, and when I came in and you guys were sitting here, well, I figured he knew.”

Sam was sitting with his head in his hands.

“Sam?” Cas asked a bit stiffly. “Are you upset with us?” 

“What?” Sam looked up. Cas had a disapproving look on his face, and Dean was wearing his best ‘What is your problem?’ expression. “No. I mean, it’s great, I just…I had no idea,” he concluded weakly.

The hardness in Cas’s eyes softened a bit. “Well, we decided to take things slowly. I hope that you do not mind. Your brother is a remarkable man.” He turned to Dean and smiled.

Dean blushed at that. Actually blushed. Sam would have to give him hell about that later.

“Yeah, he’s great.” Something occurred to Sam. “So how long has this been going on? Since the party?”

“No,” Cas and Dean both chorused at the same time.

Sam raised his eyebrows. “Okay.”

“It was that night Cas came over, when you were sick,” Dean went on. “We got to talking and then decided to get dinner sometime.”

“’Sometime’ turned out to be the next night,” Cas added helpfully. They smiled at each other again. 

“Well, that’s great.” Sam reached over and took one of the Styrofoam containers out of the bag.

“Hey, that’s mine,” Dean protested.

“Too bad, I had a lousy night. Besides you always get too much food there anyway.” He got up and grabbed a fork from the drawer.

“See how he treats me?” Dean protested to Cas.

“I’m sure you will survive,” Cas retorted.

Sam dug in to his stolen eggs and took a moment to reflect that his life was kind of strange. He was eating breakfast with his brother and his boss, and he was pretty sure they were playing footsie under the table. Very strange, but at this moment, Sam had no complaints.


	3. Breakfast Nooks and Steam Showers

Sam Winchester was slightly alarmed when he arrived home and found his brother with a bottle of Jack Daniels and several real estate brochures spread out on the kitchen table in front of him.

“Hey.” Sam set down his bag (a present from Jessica) and asked, “Starting a little early, aren’t we?”

“Don’t bother me,” Dean muttered. “I’m in the middle of something.”

“Well, I can see that,” Sam replied, gesturing to the half empty bottle.

“Not just that,” Dean went on. “I’m having a breakthrough…or a breakdown. Not sure which.” 

Sam laughed and grabbed himself a glass from the counter. “Well, how about I join you, then?”

Dean gestured grandly at the empty seat.

Sam sat and poured himself a glass. “So, what’s this all?” He picked up one of the brochures littering the table. “Bodega Bay? Isn’t that up near Santa Rosa?”

Dean hiccupped. “Sorry. Cas…Cas wants to buy a condo, a ‘weekend place.’” Dean made rather disturbing air quotes with his fingers.

“Oh, really?” Cas hadn’t mentioned it during their last lunch, but then they had been rather preoccupied discussing Sam and Gabriel’s latest case. 

“Yeah, really.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

Dean stared at him for a moment and burst out in laughter. “What’s the problem?” he repeated in a rather unfair imitation of Sam. “The problem is he wants to go look at them this weekend, and he wants me to narrow it down to my ‘top five.’” Dean picked up his glass, drained what was left in it, then slammed it down again hard enough to shake the table.

Sam stared at his brother, bewildered. “Okay?”

“Sam!” Dean pushed his glass across the table. “I couldn’t afford to rent one of these places for a weekend. And Cas wants me to narrow them down for him. Like I matter, like I could possibly have a say in what ocean view condo he buys.”

Ah, Sam was beginning to catch on. “Well, Cas values your opinion.”

“Oh, sure, take his side.” Dean waved his hand. “’Dean, I value your opinion. It makes sense to have you weigh in’ that’s what he said! Like it’s perfectly natural.”

Dean went to pour himself another glass when Sam snatched the bottle away. “Why don’t you switch to beer?” 

“Okay.” Dean agreeing so easily was a clear sign he’d already had way too much. Sam got up and got him a beer from the fridge. Dean didn’t have to work tomorrow, so he could spend the day in hangover induced misery.

“So,” Dean went on, “he wants me to pick, and you know…there’s no prices on these brochures. Or on the listings.” Dean produced another handful of paper from somewhere. “I mean, there were, but Cas had the real estate lady black them out. There’s a lot of black ink on here, Sam, like it was a long number she was inking out.”

Sam finished his drink and poured himself another one. “So what you’re saying is, it just occurred to you that you are dating someone who can afford a million dollar weekend place?” He raised his eyebrows.

“No.” Dean pointed at him unsteadily. “I knew that a while ago. I mean, have you seen his apartment?”

“No, Dean, I haven’t.”

“Well, s’awesome. S’not that. He wants me to narrow down the million dollar places. I mean, me, Sam. I don’t know anything about this stuff.” He grabbed a paper and tossed it at Sam. “I mean, there’s this one, ‘steps from the beach,’ and this one has ‘private views,’ whatever that is, and then this one, this one, Sam, has an awesome bathroom, awesome, two person tub, steam shower and everything, but the bedrooms are smaller. And then this one,“ Dean brandished another flyer, “has a cute little breakfast nook. A breakfast nook, Sam! I am debating breakfast nooks versus steam showers.” Dean swept the papers away and opened his beer.

Sam was trying to contain his laughter. There was nothing like his brother - Dean, the guy who always had a plan, a solution for everything - reduced to near incoherence by steam showers and breakfast nooks.

“Come on, Dean, this isn’t that hard.” Sam stepped in to help, almost relishing that this time he could give his older brother advice. “So, awesome bathroom place, that’s on the list, right?”

“Yeah,” Dean handed over one of the flyers. Sam glanced at it, and damn, that was a nice bathroom.

“Okay, and the breakfast nook place is on the list, too?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Okay where is that…?”

“Oh, it’s over by the dishwasher.”

Sam sighed as he got up and retrieved the flyer from the floor. “Okay, so you need three more.” He flipped through them. All of the places were nice. Maybe once Cas bought a place, he and Jess could get an invitation up for a weekend. A weekend trip with his brother and his boss. That wouldn’t be too awkward, right?

“Here,” Dean said. “Add ‘Private Views’ to the pile. At least it sounds dirty.” 

“Okay, and how about this one? It has a wrap-around deck. Think of how awesome that would be on warm nights?” Sam could picture it already, him and Jess together on a deck chair, listening to the ocean…

“Sure,” Dean burped, then belatedly covered his mouth. “Sorry.” He studied the floor plan. “Maybe we could put in a jacuzzi.”

Sam smiled. “So you’re okay with planning improvements to Cas’s hypothetical weekend place, just not picking them out?”

“Just saying, there’s plenty of space.”

“Sure.”

***

Dean walked out onto the wrap-around deck. This was certainly his favorite place so far. It was a smaller development, tucked away in a private cove. 

He heard Cas behind him and turned around, back against the railing. 

“So, what do you think of this one?” Cas asked

“Well, I like the view.” 

Cas stood beside him. “I do as well, and this area borders a nature preserve, so there won’t be any further development. I think the property values will only increase.”

“Uh huh.”

Cas glanced at him. “I know the bathrooms are not as nice here as the last place, but really, we could redo them.”

Dean laughed. As if he ever could afford a remodel on a place like this. 

Cas cocked his head at him. “What’s wrong?”

“I was just wondering why you’re looking to buy a place. I mean, can’t you use the firm’s condo whenever?”

“I have to share it with the other partners. I’d like a place that is just mine. Plus, I was thinking it would be nice to move up here when I retire.”

Dean snorted. “Are you thinking about retiring already?” But then, Cas probably could afford it. Dean felt a pang, suddenly worried about Cas moving way up here. They would never see each other.

“It’s never too soon to start planning,” Cas said reasonably. “I’m told this is a good market to buy in.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Dean should probably be more upbeat about this. He glanced around, remembering his conversation with Sam. “You could probably put a jacuzzi in here.” Dean leaned over and whispered in his ear, “I know how you like skinny dipping.”

Cas laughed. But before he could say anything, the realtor, who had silently come up behind them, interrupted. “Actually, the unit upstairs just came on the market a few days ago and it already has a jacuzzi. Would you like to take a look?”

They followed her up the stairs. “Now, this unit is a bit bigger - three bedrooms instead of two, but I’m sure you’ll agree the view is even better higher up.” She fumbled with the keys. “And here you are. The kitchen was redone recently and I happen to know the seller is very motivated.”

The realtor told them to take their time, and she would wait in the living room. Dean glanced around, then headed out onto the deck again. The jacuzzi was tucked away in a corner, still leaving plenty of space for a barbeque and some deck chairs. Dean caught himself imagining some tiki torches and one of those moveable fire pit things. He shook his head.

Cas joined him on the deck. “The bedrooms are a little smaller, but I do like the larger living room.” He smiled at Dean. “There is even a steam shower in the bathroom.”

Dean laughed, but felt compelled to add, “Cas, I don’t know why you care what I would like. This is going to be your place.”

Cas frowned at him. “Dean,” he said. “I care about what you think about this place because I plan on spending time with you here every chance I can.”

Dean actually blushed, but before he could respond Cas went on, “That first weekend we spent together, even though we were not being entirely honest with each other, it was the best time I had in a long while.”

Dean found his voice. “I felt that way, too.”

“You did?” Cas smiled.

“Yeah, but Cas…I mean…” he cleared his throat noisily. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me. Sam’s the smart one--“

“I don’t believe that,” Cas said firmly. “And neither does Sam.”

Dean grimaced. “I’m just a mechanic. I’m not the type of person that has…” He gestured to the condo. “Places like this.”

Cas was silent for a moment. Dean listened to the pounding of the waves on the shore.

“Dean, perhaps we should have had this conversation someplace else, but I’m not the person that usually has…someone like you, and by that I mean someone who devotes himself so fully to the people he cares about. I want you to feel that way about me, and I want you to share everything I have.”

Dean tried to smile, but it kept breaking apart. “Do you mean that? You want me to love you?”

Cas smiled at him. “Yes, I want you to love me the way I love you.”

“Oh, Cas.” Dean swallowed. “I love you too.” And then, nosy realtor be damned, he wrapped Cas in a giant hug. “You know, you totally have to get this place now.”

“I think that can be arranged,” Cas whispered in his ear.

The resulting embrace was clearly visible through the glass doors. The realtor smiled to herself as she saw it. She was totally going to get this commission, and then she was going to spend a week with her toes in the sand in San Diego.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published on LiveJournal.
> 
> More thanks to spacebabe for her wonderful support and great beta work. All remaining mistakes and inconsistencies are my own.


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